The County team at Junction 39.
On the morning of June 23, the Trails Program Manager met with a seven-member team of County staff and volunteers at Junction 39 in Dale Ball Trails. Under the leadership of Carol Branch, County Volunteer Coordinator, this group was combining a hiking outing with a chance to help out both the City and the County Trails programs.
On the way up, Moon and Sun Mountains in the background
Getting closer to Junction 40, with Picacho Peak in the background
Junction 39 is where City volunteers had left a small pile of wooden water bars that we removed from the trail to the north of the junction in April and May. No longer needed as water bars, these can now be re-purposed into “arrow” sign posts to be put up in Talaya Hill Open Space, the County section of Dale Ball Trails, later this Summer.
At Junction 40, below Castle Rock
This morning, with the help of the County team, we brought four posts up to Junction 40 and three more up to Junction 41, where the County staff and volunteers enjoyed the view from Castle Rock. Slowly but surely we are getting things in place for the County’s future sign work!
Double Arrow Sticker: Successful. Graffiti removal: Not so much.
The Trails Program Manager brought a couple more future sign posts over to Junction 37 as well, another useful location for pre-positioning for elsewhere in Talaya Hill Open Space. He then visited Junction 33 at Dorothy Stewart Trail for some other signage touch-up work – with mixed results (photo at right).
The following week, on June 29, City trail volunteers returned to the area and tried various other methods of graffiti removal on signs at Junctions 33 and 38 and elsewhere on the Dorothy Stewart Trail (photos below). The winning combination discovered by Heather Weir was alcohol and a household scuff-eraser.
June 29: Alcohol + Scuff Mark eraser = Success
Meanwhile a crew led by Henry Lanman built a sizable grade reversal to replace a failing wooden water bar halfway up the hill to Junction 38. We also moved three more future sign posts into position in “County territory” at Junction 37.
(1) Building a rock base to a new grade reversal; failing water bar in foreground
(2) Helping clear the drainage channel while building up dirt to pack on top of the rocks
(3) Volunteers show off the finished product: Grade reversal, built to last!
